Perth Glory Youth will be looking to kick-start its season when it hosts Adelaide United in Round Five of the Foxtel National Youth League at Ashfield Sports Club on Saturday morning.
Glory heads into the match off a bye following a loss against Melbourne Victory last time out.
Defender Ross Millard said it was an uncharacteristic performance from the Glory youngsters.
“We came into the game really confident about getting a positive result due to a solid performance the previous week against City, so it was disappointing to walk away with nothing,” the former West Ham United and Stevenage FC trainee said.
“We just didn’t turn up that day and you can’t do that in this league especially with the reduced amount of games so every moment counts. The thing that’s killing us at the moment is not capitalising on the chances we create, we’re making it hard for ourselves.”
There have been a number of NYL players stepping up to the A-League team in recent weeks and Millard believes it’s great for his teammates to make the step.
But he stressed whoever plays on Saturday against Adelaide needs to be up for the challenge.
“It’s satisfying as a youth team to see fellow teammates make the step up and get given a chance and an experience in the first team, and it bodes well for the future,” the 18-year-old said.
“The players that have come into our side have been very good, and it’s great to see these boys come in and get an opportunity to make a mark and work their way up for a place in the starting 11 or even the match day squad.”
Glory head-coach John Gibson will also be looking for his players to lift against the Reds, after the disappointing result, but he is confident they will rebound this week.
“We’ve analysed and reviewed the game against Melbourne Victory, and we’ve worked on specific facets of our game, and like always we will be positive on Saturday,” he said.
“The group always has an outstanding attitude, our standards we drive are high, and we understand the Victory game was a sub-standard performance. The environment is always challenging the group to be better – and we always look forward to game day.”
Adelaide United sit second in Conference A, five points ahead of the Glory youngsters, and beat the top of the table Brisbane Roar last weekend.
The game kicks off at 10.30am at Ashfield Sports Club.
Entry for all Glory members is free.
